A NEW £7m Merseyside golf club struggling with crippling debts has been forced to put together a rescue plan to avoid closure.

The North West National, at Rainford - described as the UK’s first ‘golf village’ - suffered a series of setbacks after the first phase opened in 2009.

It is now saddled with £400,000 in liabilities and has entered a five-year payback scheme, known as a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA), to fend off creditors.

It also emerged that director of golf Glenn Turner, who was instrumental in setting up the course and acted as a golf coach, has now left the company.

As well as the general harsh economic climate progress at the club has been hampered by poor weather.

The course was built partly on the old Pilkington glass works and former agricultural land making it one of the longest in the region.

Hundreds of thousands of tons of earth were shifted to make way for the 18-hole course but work was constantly disrupted by extreme weather conditions.

Two contractors working on the development of the course and the clubhouse also went into administration.

The only part of the site that is open at present is a nine-hole driving range although it is hoped the rest of the course will re-open shortly.

Glenn Turner, originally from New Zealand, is a qualified golf professional and well-known as a golf commentator on radio and television.

He has coached across America and Europe and has played golf at courses around the world.

The course was launched in partnership with businessman Martin Turner (no relation), who has developed golf courses elsewhere.

They hoped the North West National would buck the trend among UK golf clubs, many of which have seen falling memberships. They also aimed to attract more youngsters into the sport.

A CVA is the business equivalent of a Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA), designed for people with unmanageable debts to avoid bankruptcy.

The idea of a CVA is to pay off most if not all debts over an agreed period of time out of future profits as an alternative to going into administration or liquidation.

It is believed Lloyds Bank are among the golf club’s major creditors.

Andrew Tate, of insolvency practitioners Abbott Fielding, which is handling the rescue plan, said: “The company is trying to reach a compromise with its creditors, so it can manage its liabilities and continue and complete the work it’s doing.

“Members who have paid their fees will have those fees honoured and still be able to play.

“The liabilities are spread quite widely across a variety of creditors.

“The rescue procedure will allow the company itself to continue and get back on its feet.

“It’s not an easy option to take as it means they are still responsible for making the payments to creditors.”